This is the second in a series of testimonials about New Mexico Retiree Health Care Authority member experiences with our Wellness Incentive Program that allows members to earn a $50 Visa gift card upon completion of two structured wellness programs. If you would like to talk about your experience, please call us at 505-222-6403 or email us at NMRHCA.wellness@state.nm.us

It started off as a numbers game for Rio Rancho residents Anna and Gary King. It ended up being a lot more than they bargained for — in a good way.

In December, the couple learned their cholesterol levels had shot up to unacceptable levels. Anna, who prides herself on keeping fit by going to the gym and bicycling, knew they had to make changes.

This was a perfect opportunity, Anna thought, for the couple to revisit NMRHCA’s Wellness Incentive Program. She tried looking for programs earlier in 2016 but didn’t find the right fit.

“The incentive program was another motivation,” Anna said. “This year, I was going to make it work.”

Anna and Gary made an appointment for a wellness checkup with their doctor. But Anna also wanted to find something they both could do to tackle their high cholesterol.

“I wanted my husband to be involved,” she said. “He’s kind of a junk-food junkie. He has more health issues than I do. He’s not the kind to participate in (on-site) classes. He would much rather talk to somebody on the phone or have me get on the computer and us do it that way.”

Enter the New Mexico Good Measures program.

Good Measures combines nutrition science, personalized registered-dietitian coaching and digital tools to help people improve their health. Coaching is available by phone or online days, nights and weekends.

“Good Measures turned out to be the something I was looking for,” Anna said. “My cholesterol has always been not quite great but always OK. It went to 257 in December. It had never been that high. I couldn’t figure out what I was doing different that I needed to change.

“So my goal going in was to figure out where the (bad) fat was coming from.”

Anna, a retired teacher who served as a special education department chair during a 30-year APS career, had other motivational factors that led her to Good Measures. She said diabetes runs in both her and her husband’s families. Her grandmother died of heart disease due to diabetes.

Good Measures connected the Kings with a registered dietitian who guided the couple in their nutritional journey.

“We communicated a lot by phone,” Anna said of her conversations with Gina, the Good Measures dietitian. “That way, my husband and I could both be on speaker phone.

“And I could email her during the week and say, ‘What do you think about this, do you have any ideas about whatever?’ We emailed each other a lot.”

While Gina helped put the Kings on track with the program, the eye-opening experience for Anna was the tracking tool Good Measures utilizes through its website to help participants monitor what they eat.

“The tracking showed you how much (of specific) nutrients you needed for the day or the week, she said. “It wasn’t like I had zero idea of what to do. I was trying to fine-tune what I knew, but I ended up learning a lot more than I had envisioned.”

For example, Anna said she and Gary had stayed away from fruit because she was worried about its effect on their blood sugar levels.

“Then I discovered raspberries. They have a lot of nutrients, which are what we needed. I discovered that the berries weren’t hurting our blood sugar.”

She also started putting turmeric and red chile powder on popcorn, for the nutritional value as well as the taste.

“I learned so much about the impact of what you eat,” Anna said. “When we started the program, I was probably getting 75 to 80 percent of the nutrients we needed in a day with the vitamins I took. Adding nutritional foods, I got mine up to 98 percent.”

She added that Gary, the junk-food connoisseur, got up to 90 percent of his required nutrients.

“My husband’s never been a fruit eater,” she said. “I never thought I could get my junk-food junkie husband to get into something healthy, but he did because he could see it was working.”

Anna said she challenged Gary to eat better by making it fun, making it a game.

“I kept telling him, let’s see how good we can do. I considered it an adventure,” Anna said. “I kind of got him excited about doing it. Both our cholesterol numbers came down. When we go out to eat, I notice he’s making better choices. He’s more careful about what he picks. So I think it’s had a much more impact on him than I thought it would.”

Anna said using the Good Measures platform is easy to use, and the program has such an impact on the couple’s health that she wanted to share their success.

“It’s easy to do, and it’s fun to do,” she said. “It’s something my husband and I did together, and we both learned something from it. So what’s not to like?”

And their success made Anna glad she stuck with NMRHCA’s Wellness Incentive Program.

“I just thought it would be fun to get the $50 gift card,” she laughed. “As it turns out, as good as this was, we would’ve paid for the class. It’s just awesome that (NMRHCA) is out there saying, ‘We want to encourage you to be more healthy.’ I think the classes offered are absolutely outstanding.”

Anna added that their wellness check with their doctor confirmed their improved health when they rechecked their cholesterol numbers.

“When we went to see him, he asked, “What are you doing?’ And I had a chance to tell him this is what we’re doing.

“He said, ‘Well, whatever you’re doing, keep it up because it’s had a very, very positive impact.’”

To learn more or sign up for Good Measures visit nm.goodmeasures.com or call 888-320-1776 to speak with a Wellness Technician.